Chicopee police lieutenant under investigation for 'unacceptable' behavior during St. Patrick's Parade in Holyoke

CHICOPEE -- A Chicopee police lieutenant is under investigation after he allegedly acted inappropriately while in uniform and marching with a contingent of fellow officers during the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade on Sunday.

Chicopee Police Lt. John Pronovost (Republican File Photo)

Lt. John Pronovost has been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation, which is being conducted by the chief's office, Chicopee Police Chief William R. Jebb said.

About 45 members of the department were marching in the annual parade Sunday afternoon. The contingent was nearing the end of the 2.6 mile route when Pronovost started acting improperly, Jebb said.

"His behavior in the parade was unacceptable," he said.

At that time Pronovost was told to leave the formation and other officers also left the parade to tend to his needs. They eventually drove him to the Chicopee Police Department, Jebb said.

No one else was involved with the incident and no one was injured. Jebb said he did contact Holyoke Police as a courtesy but officers in the neighboring city did not get involved in the problem, Jebb said.

Jebb did not release specifics on what Pronovost said or did during the parade. Citing privacy issues, he declined to give any details of the investigation, which he said would take about a week.

"Regardless of the circumstances he will be held accountable for his actions," Jebb said.

Pronovost is the lieutenant in charge of training. He has run into a number of problems in the department over the past few years. In 2013 Capt. Mark Gilbert filed a complaint against Pronovost, saying the lieutenant pointed his service weapon at him during an argument at the station. The incident happened in 2007.

The disagreement started when Gilbert criticized Pronovost for setting up "ghost detectors" in the police station, claiming to communicate with the dead and being able to speak to the dead through crystal rocks.

Later Gilbert was accused of filing a false police report against Pronovost. In 2016 he was found not guilty of the charge in Holyoke District Court.

More recently Pronovost got into a very public battle with former Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette in a polling place at Edward J. Bellamy Middle School. Bissonnette, who was trying to recapture the mayoral seat he held for eight years and then lost to Richard J. Kos, entered the polling place during a preliminary election in the fall of 2015. Bissonnette was not on the ballot but was wearing a sticker promoting his campaign, which is not allowed in a polling place, and Pronovost confronted him about it.

Later Bissonnette was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, displaying campaign material within 150 feet of a polling place and two counts of disorderly conduct. The charges were dismissed in November after Bissonnette agreed to keep his distance from Pronovost and refrain from commenting about the lieutenant on social media for four months.